rabskyline

got a 2.7tdi ford maverick(nissan terrano) and it drives superb and will idle all day but when pushed on a bit the thing loses power and stutters . it will drive about the doors all day but it dies on the motorway and above 50 mph. i disconnected the iar filter as i had similar symptons on my van which was a choked air filter but when i did this it made no difference although i could here the turbo coming in and fading under full throttle like fuel starvation...it comes and goes but is really annoying.. the fuel filter looks new and i opened the filter tap to see if there was water in it but it was fine..its strange. any ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated as its doing my head in..doesnt seem as pokey as it should be either for a big engined turbo diesel.......

negri

how old is it ?

could it be a problem with the diesel tank ? maybe a lot of crap in the tank and not allowing enough fuel through to run properly ?.

does it happen when the tank is high / low?

you could disconnect the fuel lines and put an airline in them to see if the are blocked or not .

David Lock

Get the injectors checked out.

rabskyline

its a 95 m reg so quite old but only 129k on it. will check the fuel lines. it drives fine, at times it clears and off she goes. definetely feels like fuel starvation of some sort but the fuel coming out of the bottom stopcock on the fuel filter is clean ! a garage i called( diesel specialists)say its probably the pump as its not just a lift pump, its an injector pump too. he said to disconnect the tank and try a different source. not that easy to do but will try it ! i thought as it didnt do it all the time that it wasnt pump related as at one point it seemed to clear and ploughed on up to 90+mph for about a mile or so and then stutter stutter..quite possibly a ****ty tank !

mart360

disconnect your maf sensor, and see if it makes any differance.. no differance... duff maf

Mart

rabskyline

doesnt have a mass air flow meter .....

mart360

how does it control the mixture? are any error codes shown on the ECU?

have you checked the injector timing?

Mart

rabskyline

it will run and drive fine then get the odd splutter under load so injector timing wil be fine... i am thinking that it is the pump or tank that is the culprit.. the air filter housinf goes straight onto the turbo . so no maf. there is smoke out the back when it starts acting up. i had a similar problem when i had a blocked air filter on my van but this has been eliminated already....you can actually hear the turbo spooling up and then off when under fuul throttle. like its not getting any fuel .. it really feels like a partial blockage or similar..it doesnt seem to be getting enough fuel..this is as best i can describe it....

mart360

does the turbo work? its not a variable vane unit is it?

could be the boost solenoid or the actuator.

i,d check all air pipes to and from the turbo and the air inlet.

run a healthy dose of redex through the sytem, and change the oil and filter,

might pay to do a sacrificial oil change. just to make sure

if its running fin e all day, then theres fuel getting through, then it could be your injector timing..

have you tried on any of the TDI boards for support?

Mart

34srm

check your turbo pipes arnt collapsing under load

rabskyline

turbo is running fine . i didnt know there was a tdi forum board ? ( if thats what you mean). i think the blast through with an airline wont hurt. i will check all the hoses too. the turbo hosing all looks fine . i am 90% sure its fuel related now. it was driving back from glasgow the other day and cleared for about a mile where it took off as if it was fine but after that it was spluttery as holding back...sunday is fault finding day... i can get a pump for 110 quid which is magic ! but wont be shelling out hand over fist . i will need to check all your suggestions first...

BrettC

Hi

I am by no means a diesel mechanic or any other type for that matter.
However, I had exactly the same symptoms as you describe on my TD Escort estate. Like someone suggested here to check the injectors - I didn't exactly check them but I did give the car a treatment of injector cleaner (In a more concentrated dose than suggested).

I have all power back (not that there was much in the first place you understand), no surging and about a 10% increase in fuel economy.

For £8 its got to be worth a try.

Good luck.

rabskyline

that is definitely an option although i used that for another vehicle and noticed no difference at all !!

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

I take it you've replaced the fuel filter?

If it has a lift pump in the tank then maybe get that out and check/clean the filter.

They can be a pain IMO, could be dirt (like suggested) in filter, tank etc, water, even a dying pump (maybe just tired) or even failing and throwing metal swarf around the system slowly blocking all in it's path.

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

quote from a website I was on when a mates diesel van was giving us grief..

rabskyline

a guy oa the 4x4 forum ( thanks to him ! ) says they also have an inline filter hidden away under the car not counting the big one under the bonnet so i am hoping that this has been overlooked and is choked. that would be an ideal scenario ! but will have to wait till sunday as i am off out tomorrow with the wife and friends to get sparkled !

tonyrally

did u ever sort this as i have one with the same problem iv allready changed pump an injectors thanks tony

Leslie

Check the air vent into the fuel tank. If that blocks up then the fuel can't get out of the tank fast enough for the engine's requirements because of the reduction of air pressure in the tank. If you stop next time it happens and take the fuel cap off, if there is an inrush of air that will be the trouble.

Les

GC8

You can remove the injectors and take them to a diesel specialist to be checked.